Randy's Tank and Learn Thread

[Minifoot77]

What made you go with the microbe lift special blend and do you recommend it still?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What made you go with the microbe lift special blend and do you recommend it still?

It seems to be helpful in terms of cyano in my tank, but I cannot be 100% certain that what has deterred it. I still have more cyano than I want, but much less.

I only picked it because Petco said they could deliver the same day, while other options (e.g., PNS Probio) might have been my preference, but would take much longer and I was going out of town. However, Petco failed to deliver that same day, or even the next day. It was days later before it arrived, so they gave it to me free, aside from the driver tip.

 

[Minifoot77]

Thank you sir I was eyeballing it after I saw it here

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Elegance Update

Ever since I got back from my NY trip a couple of days ago, the elegance has been tiny. Very shrunken and barely visible.

I finally decided I needed to figure out why, and I’m glad I did. Turned out most of it was buried in sand, probably from the digging damsel. It was hard to see down in the crevice where I had it.

I dug it up, shook out the sand, and placed it on the sand in front where I can monitor it. The skeleton has grown some and it is clearly heavy enough to not float away.

The pictures below show what it looked like recently, and then what I dig up, including the skeleton from the bottom and where it is now. The individual parts of the skeleton, which were separate when it arrived, seem stuck together now.

@dwest

 

[dwest]

Elegance Update

Ever since I got back from my NY trip a couple of days ago, the elegance has been tiny. Very shrunken and barely visible.

I finally decided I needed to figure out why, and I’m glad I did. Turned out most of it was buried in sand, probably from the digging damsel. It was hard to see down in the crevice where I had it.

I dug it up, shook out the sand, and placed it on the sand in front where I can monitor it. The skeleton has grown some and it is clearly heavy enough to not float away.

The pictures below show what it looked like recently, and then what I dig up, including the skeleton from the bottom and where it is now. The individual parts of the skeleton, which were separate when it arrived, seem stuck together now.

@dwest

Thanks for the update. The colors look great with your lighting. And I agree that’s it’s not likely to float away.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Elegance Update

The elegance has popped back to normal after its multiday
partial burial by the azure damsel. Here it is this morning:

 

[Dan_P]

Elegance Update

The elegance has popped back to normal after its multiday
partial burial by the azure damsel. Here it is this morning:

Hey, I like happy endings. Thanks.

Ever consider using a water-pik or something like it to blast out areas of persistent cyanobacteria growth on rocks? In the time it took for your coral to recover, pillows of cyanobacteria seem to have developed in the rock behind it. These spots also look like good locations to inject bacteria right into the pillows.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Sunlight

There is a brief time of the year when sunlight can directly hit part of my tank. That time is now. I walked into the room and a green chromis was half in sun and half not. Wow, its sun half was stunning. Try as I might, my lights do a poor job of emulating the sun.

The light coming from a different angle also helped my see many small rock hitchhikers that came from TBS. It’s nice to keep getting happily surprised. The pics below show a couple of these:

 

[BCash74]

Here are quotes from Randy’s thoughts on nutrients that I 100% agree with.







So yeah, having nitrate readings is fine and good; there is nothing wrong with it.

But having 0 ppm NO3 doesn’t discount the available nitrogen available in the form of ammonium you’re providing. N starvation won’t be the cause of death or suffering to your montiporas IMO.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Miami Reef has passed away and won't be responding, but I agree with your statement (and clearly indicate so in the nutrients article Miami is referring to).

That said, while 0 nitrate can be OK (and can be bad), 5 ppm nitrate is always OK, and hence it being the lower limit of my recommendation.

Randy’s Thoughts on Nutrient Target Ranges

Thoughts on Nutrient Target Ranges by Randy Holmes-Farley Almost nothing in the world of reef aquarium chemistry causes as much discussion as selecting and maintaining ranges for nitrate and phosphate. Some aquarists want low targets, some want...

www.reef2reef.com

4. What targets seem reasonable? Of course, that depends on all the other factors at play, such as types of corals, availability of ammonia, particulate foods, etc. However, for a mature mixed reef, this would be how I personally would run it:

• Let nitrate float between 5 ppm and 50 ppm. I’d use gentle export in this range, such as growing macroalgae.
• Above 50 ppm, I’d begin to focus more on reducing it, by organic carbon dosing, turf or macroalgae, etc.
• Below 5 ppm, I’d begin to dose ammonia or feed more. The target level might drop lower if dosing ammonia, just like the heavy in/heavy out scenario where nitrate may not be as needed.
• Let phosphate float between about 0.06 ppm and 0.3 ppm. This range is higher than I’ve recommended in the past. I’d use gentle export in this range, such as growing macroalgae.
• Above about 0.3 ppm, I’d begin to focus more on reducing it, by turf or macroalgae, or a binder such as GFO or lanthanum (has its own risks to tangs). If a binder: GO SLOW. Turf and macroalgae will typically be slow enough.
• Below 0.06 ppm, I’d begin to dose sodium phosphate or feed more to get the level up.

 

[djf91]

Nothing like natural sunlight, but there are types of lighting that come close as I’m sure you know.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Nothing like natural sunlight, but there are types of lighting that come close as I’m sure you know.

Yes, thanks. I very much like the plasma lights that Seancj uses, but they (and other ways of closer approximating a shallow water spectrum) do not fit my other requirements (noise and size).

Is anyone running plasma, LEP, over their reef?

Just curious.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Chemistry Update: Old Problem Clarified

Was doing my normal chemistry tests today. Bit of an oddity right off:

pH with newly calibrated meter: 7.6 what the heck?

pH has never been that low. Checked calibration and it was fine. Collected a new sample: 7.6 what the double heck?

Proceeded to do the rest of my testing and most was normal.

Alk 8.1 dKH
Salinity 35.0 ppt
Nitrate 7.8 ppm
Phosphate 0.38 ppm higher than previous (0.30 ppm or so)

No skimmate in my long term collection bucket. Did I dump it recently and not remember?

Then I notice one INKBIRD temp controller is not lit. Its GFCI is tripped. Resetting it trips the GFCI breaker on that whole circuit (replacing that soon).

Finally I track it down to the cheap, small powerhead I have in the bottom of sump 3 (has skimmer and cooling coils and uv bulbs). The bad powerhead kept tripping things, and the skimmer was also on that line.

I cannot see the skimmer in my current setup, and like the energizer bunny, that Tunze skimmer just runs and runs with no attention needed. Lack of the skimmer obviously explains the missing skimmate, but maybe also the low pH and higher phosphate. It may have been off a long time. Maybe two weeks.

This bad powerhead also likely explains the emergency situation where the whole circuit tripped a couple of weeks ago while I was in NY, requiring my daughter to come over in a rush to fix it.

I put another powerhead in that sump bottom, and it has stirred up all sorts of debris and the tank is a bit cloudy, but maybe the filter feeders can benefit.

In any case, hopefully things are on a better track now! :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Magnifica Update

A couple of weeks ago, the magnifica again released from its rock island and ended up face down in the sand. I decided something new is clearly in order. I decided to put it in the most
light that I presently can on its island.

I took one of my 32 w led grow spot lights (4,000 k, cri 95) that I use on my refugium and put it directly over the island. It is a big
Lighting boost, though I have not heat measured par in that
Location.

Yesterday it happened to evert to stomach for some reason (never seen it do that in all the time I had it), but that is over today and it seems to continue to look fine. The lighting has not stopped it from moving around the island a bit, but I’m hoping it makes it happier long term.

Here is the current look. Aesthetically, I don’t mind the yellow look of the anemone.

 

[tripdad]

I have 3 total nems. In the last few weeks 2 of them have become Aussie's.......gone walkabout for days. They have now settled for almost a week so time will tell. They are without a doubt the most frustrating animals I have kept. Hang in there!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Photo Update

Tanks seems to be doing fine overall. More cyano than I’d like, but less than previously. Anemone moves around the top of the island, but is not crawling down the sides or detaching.

Most corals seem to be growing fine. Fish are doing fine. I moved the green toadstool from the refugium back to the display. It shows some tiny tentacles, but is still not thriving.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Crab!

Spotted a new to me crab today. Good size, about the size of a quarter. Not that I likely can to anything about it, but what do folks thing: friend or foe?

 

[tripdad]

I don't know but that is one bad*** looking crab! Very cool!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Might be a hairy gorilla crab.

Hairy Gorilla Crab - Pilumnus sayi

ID - Small crabs, up to 3", with black tipped claws and appear hairy. Red-brown-purple crabs covered in hair with white blotches, unequal sized dark tipped claws. Image credit CDscapes.Tips - Considered by many not reef safe in small tanks. If hungry, they will pick on small hermits and exposed...

tbsaltwater.com

 

[Minifoot77]

Foe